As one of de wast great painters of Spain's Gowden Age, Muriwwo was above aww a rewigiouspainter, known for his grand depictions of saints and Christ. His interest in de poor was perhaps rewated to de doctrine of charity of de Franciscans, for whom he freqwentwy worked. For de Franciscans of Seviwwe, he painted a cycwe of pictures to which anoder painting titwed, The Angews' Kitchen, bewongs.[6]

This work of art was undoubtedwy inspired by de rampant misery in de streets of Seviwwe during de Gowden Age.[2] In de 17f century, Spain had a diwemma wif abandoned chiwdren who had to fend for demsewves.[2]The Young Beggar depicts one of dese chiwdren who is in de middwe of ridding himsewf of wice.

Muriwwo was inspired to create a series of genre paintings featuring orphaned chiwdren wiving on de streets of Seviwwe as a resuwt of poor management in seventeenf-century Spain, uh-hah-hah-hah.[2] Not onwy was dere confwict among peopwe because of differences in rewigion, dere were awso pwagues dat affected de chiwdren, uh-hah-hah-hah.[2] It was dese particuwar hardships dat became de subjects of Muriwwo's paintings.[2]

Muriwwo couwd have been infwuenced to create such works due to his upbringing and he drew inspiration from what surrounded him.[7] As a chiwd, he was orphaned and raised by rewatives.[2] His chiwdhood couwd have awso inspired dis series of street chiwdren, uh-hah-hah-hah.[2]

The Young Beggar is unwike Muriwwo's earwier works, which fowwowed de stywe of his teacher Jorge Castiwwo and artists wike Francisco de Zurbarán and Awonzo Cano.[8] Instead, it uses stark contrasts of wight and shade, much wike de stywe of Itawian painter, Caravaggio.[2]

Muriwwo uses a compwimentarycontrast between wight and shade, awso known as tenebrism, as seen wif de windowsiww on de top weft of de painting. The boy sits on de opposite corner at de bottom right, cwearing his body from wice. His cwodes are torn and seem to have been resown using materiaws from oder rags. By de boy's weft knee is a piwe of hawf eaten shrimp, and by his right weg on de weft side of de painting is a basket of appwes.

Unwike Muriwwo's rewigious works, The Young Beggar was not immediatewy praised as a high work of art.[8] Muriwwo was criticized for being too focused on creating an ideawized urchin, which did not truwy refwect de harsh reawities of Spanish poverty in Seviwwe.[2]

This painting was awso criticized for using gwaring wights and poses dat were often too dramatic or deatricaw. However, dis criticism was water disputed as subseqwent interpretations viewed dis as a virtue of de work; because de young boy in de painting was not affected by his poor condition, it was what made him appeawing.[10]

Yet Muriwwo's works suffered when oder artists attempted to create poor copies of de same subject; however what affected his reputation most was due to de artist himsewf never signing many of his artworks.[2]

It was not untiw de Rococo period when The Young Beggar and simiwar demed paintings of street chiwdren became more vawued.[7] Outside of Spain, Muriwwo's skiww in representing chiwdren on de streets was praised.[7] Recorded around 1658, dis painting was on dispway in Gray's Inn, London, proving how de originaw was moved outside of Seviwwe as earwy as de 1650s.[7] Simiwar paintings wike Boys Eating Grapes and Mewon, originawwy named Two Spanish Boys Eating Grapes, was anoder such painting dat secured Muriwwo's popuwarity beyond his Spanish home.[7]